Worth noting:
http://rapsinews.com/news/20121112/265322007.html
---o0o---
Lurkmore, a popular Russian online encyclopedia, was added to the register
of websites containing banned information, after which its IP address was
blocked, Lurkmore's Twitter account has announced.
Lurkmore is a popular resource similar to Wikipedia, though, unlike the
latter, it focuses on collecting information on various Internet memes,
popular figures, Internet resources and subcultures. As with Wikipedia,
users write and edit the articles themselves.
[...]
If a site contains child porn, suicide or drug making instructions, it can
be shut down even before a trial. As regards other prohibited information,
the decision on whether to close the website will be taken on the basis of
the court ruling.
---o0o---
Hello,
The Tagalog Wikipedia community is considering a blackout in protest of
the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. Here is an English translation of
the notice:
NOTE: Please encourage all the community to join Wikipediang Tagalog talk
about the proposed pagsasansala (blackout) of Wikipediang Tagalog against
Republic Act No. 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. Please
participate in the ongoing conversation in the Cafe. Thank you.
The notice:
https://tl.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MediaWiki:Sitenotice&oldid=11441…
Discussion:
https://tl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usapang_Wikipedia:Kapihan#Iminungkahing_pagsa…
--
Stephen LaPorte
Legal Counsel
Wikimedia Foundation
*
*
*For legal reasons, I may only serve as an attorney for the Wikimedia
Foundation. This means I may not give legal advice to or serve as a lawyer
for community members, volunteers, or staff members in their personal
capacity.*
The U.S. Copyright Office posted a general inquiry on mass digitization and
orphan works:
Please comment on potential orphan works solutions in the context of
mass digitization. How should mass digitization be defined, what are the
goals and what, therefore, is an appropriate legal framework that is fair
to authors and copyright owners as well as good faith users? What other
possible solutions for mass digitization projects should be considered?
https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/10/22/2012-25932/orphan-works…
Comments are due on February 4, 2013.
--
Stephen LaPorte
Legal Counsel
Wikimedia Foundation
*For legal reasons, I may only serve as an attorney for the Wikimedia
Foundation. This means I may not give legal advice to or serve as a lawyer
for community members, volunteers, or staff members in their personal
capacity.*
Hello,
The Italian Senate is debating the defamation bill that the Italian
Wikipedia community previously protested. The community is discussing their
response here:
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Bar/Discussioni/Oggi_il_Senato_vota_…
Here is a Google translation of some proposed banner text:
Dear readers,
once again the independence of Wikipedia is under threat.
In these hours, the Italian Senate is debating a bill on defamation ( DDL
n. 3491 ) which, if approved, would require each site (including Wikipedia)
the correction or deletion of your content on simple request those who
considered damaging to their image or their privacy, and provides for the
criminal conviction and fines of up to € 100,000 in the case of failure to
remove. Similar initiatives are not new , but this time their approval
seems imminent.
Wikipedia recognizes the right to the protection of the reputation of each
and volunteers that contribute for free already strive daily to ensure it.
The approval of this standard, however, be obliged to alter the content
regardless of their veracity . Such a requirement would distort the
fundamental principles of Wikipedia, would be an unacceptable restriction
of its autonomy and a grave threat to the activity of its 15 million
volunteers around the world, who would be inclined to stop dealing with
specific topics or characters, even only "no problems."
Wikipedia is the largest collective work in the history of the human race
in 12 years has become part of the habits of millions of Internet users in
search of a knowledge-neutral, free and above all free. The Italian edition
has almost a million entries, receiving 16 million visits every day, but
this rule may obscure them forever.
The Encyclopedia is the heritage of all. We will not allow it disappears.
The BBC has a story on the law that the Russian Wikipedia community
protested:
If the websites themselves cannot be shut down, internet service providers
(ISPs) and web hosting companies can be forced to block access to the
offending material.
The list of banned website will be managed by Roskomnadzor (Russia's
Federal Service for Supervision in Telecommunications, Information
Technology and Mass Communications). It is meant to be updated daily, but
its contents are not available to the general public.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20096274
Hi all,
Below are some recent events that you may find interesting.
Stephen
*Justice department calls Megaupload case a success despite catastrophic
flaws* (RT)
http://rt.com/usa/news/justice-department-megaupload-success-757/
Even as the US government's case against Kim Dotcom and the vast copyright
infringement conspiracy they allege he orchestrated crumbles in their
hands, the Justice Department has only nice things to say about their
take-down of Megaupload.
The Obama administration has all but thrown in the towel in the federal
copyright infringement suit against Megaupload.com, but Attorney General
Eric Holder is celebrating the seizure of the file storage site nearly a
year later even despite a steady series of setback both domestically and
abroad expected to heavily jeopardize the outcome of the case.
Speaking at the Intellectual Property Law Enforcement Grant Award Event in
Towson, Maryland on Wednesday, Attorney General Holder praised the DoJ’s
attempts at prosecuting Megaupload and its associates for copyright
infringement, calling the case yet another example in the courts’ “record
of success” when it comes to fighting and preventing IP crimes.
...
*US court to rule on ReDigi's MP3 digital music resales* (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19842851
A US court is to consider a case that could determine whether digital media
files can be resold.
One-year-old start-up ReDigi is battling music giant EMI over whether
digital music can be retraded after it has been legally purchased.
ReDigi says that its software is designed to comply with existing United
States copyright laws.
...
*Internet firms driving information technology industry growth, says
OECD*(OECD)
http://www.oecd.org/newsroom/internetfirmsdrivinginformationtechnologyindus…
Internet firms continue to drive growth and job creation in the IT
industry, with fast-rising demand for mobile services helping to boost
revenue and investment in research and development, according to a new OECD
report.
The OECD Internet Economy Outlook 2012 says that the top 250 ICT firms,
ranked by revenue, boosted employment by 4% in 2010 and 6% in 2011. Hiring
grew fastest among Internet firms who increased employment by 29% in 2011,
largely driven by Amazon.com and Google adding 50% more employees between
2010 and 2011.
...
*Your right to resell your own stuff is in peril* (MarketWatch)
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/your-right-to-resell-your-own-stuff-is-in-…
Tucked into the U.S. Supreme Court’s agenda this fall is a little-known
case that could upend your ability to resell everything from your
grandmother’s antique furniture to your iPhone 4.
At issue in Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons is the first-sale doctrine in
copyright law, which allows you to buy and then sell things like
electronics, books, artwork and furniture, as well as CDs and DVDs, without
getting permission from the copyright holder of those products.
Under the doctrine, which the Supreme Court has recognized since 1908, you
can resell your stuff without worry because the copyright holder only had
control over the first sale.
...
--
Stephen LaPorte
Legal Counsel
Wikimedia Foundation
Hello all,
Freedom House released the 2012 Freedom of the Net report, which assesses
threats to free speech online and in digital media. It is available here:
http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/freedom-net-2012
After an initial skim, I see that it discusses Wikipedia as a target of
censorship, the Italian Wikipedia community's protests, and a few specific
Wikipedia pages. If anyone has an opportunity to read the report in detail,
I would be interested to hear what you notice.
Cheers,
Stephen
--
Stephen LaPorte
Legal Counsel
Wikimedia Foundation